


Speechless

by wendymarlowe



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fandom Trumps Hate 2020, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27167815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wendymarlowe/pseuds/wendymarlowe
Summary: Severus Snape is saved by Molly Weasley after the battle of Hogwarts. She helps him recover in secret, away from the rest of the wizarding world, while also helping put Hogwarts and its staff back together. This is a fic about a developing friendship and deep respect between two battle-scarred veterans who lean on each other to recover.
Relationships: Severus Snape & Molly Weasley
Comments: 21
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [drinkingcocoa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drinkingcocoa/gifts).



> This fic is a MUCH belated gift for drinkingcocoa, who was kind enough to bid on it in the 2020 Fandom Trumps Hate auction this spring. She requested something that highlighted the grim, practical, non-silly aspects of Molly's nature. Molly and Severus are both recovering soldiers who have been through a bitter and exhausting war and who respect each other all the more for it. This ultimately leads to Severus hiring Molly for the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position, which turns out to be exactly what they both need.

_Hot._

Severus snapped to alertness quickly, honed by years of survival instinct, but kept his eyes closed. He was stifled under something heavy and soft - a quilt, perhaps? There was a dull, throbbing pain radiating throughout most of his body but it felt distant somehow. He’d been given a potion, then. Not his own, unfortunately - he still hurt, damn it - but adequate. The air around him felt stuffy and unnaturally still and smelled of Hogwarts. _Is that a good thing or a bad thing?_

A long inhale confirmed it: he was definitely somewhere above-ground in the castle - probably a small room, judging by the lack of ventilation. Cautiously Severus opened his eyes.

“Knew you’d be waking up soon,” a vaguely familiar voice declared from out of nowhere. “I’ll be right there.”

Severus frowned, trying to place the voice with a face. The witch was nobody on staff at Hogwarts, he was certain, and sounded too old to be one of his current students. He looked around and found himself in a room barely large enough for a bed, a nightstand, and a high-backed chair. Stone walls and ceiling, lit only by a single sconce above the bed. Four unblemished walls… and no means of egress.

 _Merlin’s bloody bollocks._ A prison cell, then.

Less than a minute later, a door appeared where no door had been previously and he was faced with his jailor: Molly Weasley.

“Stop scowling,” she said, and placed a cloth-covered tray down on the nightstand beside him. “I swear, you must have come out of the womb with that expression. I’m sure you’re a bit disoriented--” that was an understatement “--but you _have_ been unconscious for nearly two weeks. In and out for the last day or two, but this is the first time you’ve been alert enough to trigger the monitoring charm. I need to get some broth into you, then I’ll change your dressings and get out of your hair. Can you sit up?”

Severus had automatically tried to snap to a semi-vertical position when she entered the room, but nothing below his neck was responding to his brain’s commands. “Where’s my wand?” he asked... or tried to ask. All that came out was a hoarse croak.

Molly eyed him impassively for a moment, then reached for her own wand. Two flicks later, the bed had been transfigured into a comfortable chaise lounge.

“If you’re asking about your wand,” she said stiffly, turning away to uncover the tray, “it’s up in the headmaster’s office. Your office, still, I presume, since it won’t let anyone else in. I trust you’ve already realized you’re still at Hogwarts. It’s not safe for you to use magic yet - that snake did a number on you. Luckily I still had some of the salve you made for Arthur when he was attacked at the Ministry. If your recovery goes anything like his did, your magic will be unreliable for several more weeks… possibly months, considering how much blood you lost.” She poured some fragrant broth into a cup and conjured a straw into it. “Here - I’ve been spelling nutrient potions down your throat up until now, but I suspect you’d like to get the taste out of your mouth. I know they’re not the most appetizing.”

Severus did, indeed, feel like his tongue was coated with dead grindylow residue, presumably as a result of being unconscious for weeks. Molly held the mug and Severus managed to get his lips around the end of the straw. The first taste of warm, salty broth was heavenly. An involuntary satisfied sound escaped him.

Molly gave an approving huff, but her eyes still looked haunted. “Believe it or not, I’m pleased to see you’re doing better,” she said quietly. “Harry has been advocating for you too. I’ve known you a long time, Severus, and I respect you despite… well. If anyone deserves some peace and quiet now, it’s you.”

 _Despite me hexing the ear off her son_ went unsaid. Her sentiment was at odds with the fact that she was apparently holding him in secret in a windowless room in the castle. “Prisoner?” Severus mouthed around the straw.

Molly shook her head vehemently. “No, you’re not a prisoner here. The Ministry is looking for you, though, and it’s quite clear they’re on the hunt for anyone to blame for the war. They’re hexing first and asking questions later. The only other person who knew you’re here was Kingsley, and he was hit with a nasty memory-scrambling curse about ten minutes after he helped me transport your body from the Shrieking Shack to the castle. It’s…” She sighed. “We won, but the price was high. Our side lost dozens in the final battle, adults and children both. Including my Fred.”

It took a moment for that statement to sink in. The Weasley twins were an inseparable unit, and had been since before they first stepped through Hogwarts’ doors. The grief on Molly’s face was surely for both her twin sons, because there’s no way George was still functional without his brother…

“I don’t think I could even give you a full list,” she continued, “but I’ll try to get a copy of The Prophet’s memorial edition. I’m sure there’s one floating around here somewhere. They didn’t print the Death Eaters’ side, but I know there were several of your current and former students among that number too. Those of us who are left are slowly trying to rebuild, starting with Hogwarts. It’s difficult because the castle was heavily damaged with dark magic. The blood spilled here only strengthened the curses. Also, Hogwarts seems to be waiting for you before it will let anyone in the headmaster’s office or quarters. The house elves are beside themselves.”

Severus slowly sipped the broth while Molly held the cup with one hand and carefully unwrapped a long length of gauze from around his neck with the other. The end that had been next to his skin was stained auburn with old blood. _Must have used a numbing charm_ , he noted. His last memory was of the Dark Lord’s damnable snake ripping out part of his throat, but now his neck didn’t hurt more than any other part of his vaguely aching body.

That explains the lack of a voice, Severus realized suddenly. He sucked in a breath and held it for a long moment before expelling it slowly. He could still control that, at least. Molly met his eyes briefly and then looked back down at the wound.

“Yes, it’s bad,” she murmured. “I’ve been sneaking away every few hours to apply the antivenin and try to keep the puncture clean, but there was significant tearing and there’s only so much I can do. I’m sorry, Severus - even when your magic is safe to use again, you may not be able to do verbal spells for a long time. Possibly ever. She missed your artery by millimetres but your larynx was shredded. That’s probably what saved your life, in fact - most of the venom went into tissue that Kingsley and I had to remove immediately. It didn’t have time to travel through to your heart.” She cast several spells in quick succession. Severus recognized a deft variation of _scourgio_ often favored by Madam Pomfrey, a sterilization spell, and a blood diagnostic charm. Her wand movements spoke of years of practice, presumably from bandaging up damaged young Weasleys. Whatever she saw had her nodding. “It’s looking much better than yesterday.”

Lacking the ability to speak was intolerable. Severus mimed writing with his right hand, which Molly fortunately understood. A moment later he was in possession of a quill and a largish self-stiffened parchment.

THANK YOU, he wrote.

Molly blinked. “You’re welcome. I’m thankful Kingsley found you so quickly, and came to get me.”

 _She did have mediwitch training,_ Severus remembered. From before her children were born - wasn’t that where she’d met Arthur? Perhaps a few decades out of practice, but wizarding medicine didn’t change as fast as science did in the muggle world. She was still clearly more than competent... especially since she’d been working all alone in nursing him back to health. Partial health, at least.

NO ONE ELSE KNOWS I AM ALIVE?

“Minerva has guessed, I’m sure,” she said, “because of the castle’s refusal to treat her as its new Headmistress. She’s trying to hide it - she knows as well as I do that you’d be thrown in Azkaban the moment anyone from the Ministry suspected - but she’s been unusually tight-lipped lately. And Harry is on a one-wizard crusade to have you posthumously declared a war hero.”

Severus stared at her.

“I know, it surprised nearly everyone. He said you gave him some of your memories - he won’t share them with anyone else, but he swears up and down that Albus’s death was functionally an assisted suicide and he’s made it a personal mission to exonerate you from any charges. Ginevra has been at his side almost constantly since the battle and has been gathering statements from other students.The two of them are the reason Kingsley went to look for you. Ginevra says despite your gruff facade, you worked hard to ensure nobody was done permanent harm by the Carrows. ”

Merlin, had it been so obvious? How did his students figure it out but the Dark Lord never suspected a thing? Severus found himself at a rare loss for words, not that he could speak anyway. _Maybe their fervor is merely the clarity that comes with hindsight,_ he told himself. Guilt that they hadn’t realized it sooner, so they rationalize it away. And yet…

YOUR DAUGHTER PROVED HERSELF A CAPABLE GENERAL THESE LAST FEW MONTHS, Severus wrote. I DARE NOT HOPE... BUT IF ANYONE HAS A CHANCE OF PULLING OFF SUCH A MIRACLE, IT WOULD BE HER.

Molly’s face softened as she read his slightly shaky printing. It was all he could do to control his arm well enough to write in full sentences; his usual spiky script was beyond him. She smiled grimly at his pronouncement and reached down to squeeze his free hand.

“Save your energy and your magic for healing,” she told him. “I’m as grieved as you are that this war had to be fought by children. My Fred deserved more than twenty years of life - it keeps hitting me what exactly his loss means. I’ve been keeping myself as busy as possible because if I don’t, I’ll start thinking.”

Bloody Salazar, Severus knew the feeling. Most of the last year was made up of pepper-up for days and dreamless sleep for the wee hours of the night when his body couldn’t support him any longer. Between the two, he managed to stay too busy to dream. Occlumancy can’t protect against the terrors of one’s own mind.

The world was already beginning to dim at the edges, though, and Severus saw no reason to fight it. He handed the quill and paper back to Molly. She took the hint, quickly cleaning up the tray. He was asleep by the time she left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Recovery was a frustratingly slow process. Severus had good days and bad days, but slowly the good started to outnumber the bad. Molly didn’t try to mother him, which was much appreciated, but her haunted look and occasional moments of hebetude in which she got lost staring off into space left him unsettled. She hadn’t been savaged by a giant snake, but clearly the war had left its mark on them both.

Hogwarts itself was a bigger problem. Minerva could only put off the Ministry for so long; eventually someone would notice that she never used “her” office and that the castle’s magic didn’t conform to her command the way it did for other headmasters and -mistresses. Usually it was a subtle thrum under Severus’s skin, reminding him that Hogwarts was healing right alongside him, but occasionally a sharp jolt would alert him to some occurrence elsewhere in the castle or on the grounds. Molly usually showed up shortly afterward, bearing news.

One particularly large burst of magical energy shook Severus awake from a dead sleep and brought Molly running minutes later. “It was the Great Hall,” she explained breathlessly. “We knew the ceiling was damaged but couldn’t tell where, so Filius and Minerva took down the sky-mirroring enchantment temporarily. The destabilization caused a small cave-in - Filius was safely against the wall when it happened, but Minerva and some Ministry lackey were directly under the portion of the ceiling that fell. Poppy is tending to them both now.”

PROGNOSIS? Severus wrote.

“The witch from the ministry has a broken leg and is in for a rough night of Skele-Gro. Minerva took a good-sized rock to the head and has been spelled asleep for her own safety until Poppy can do a full scan. I’m headed directly back to the infirmary now, but I wanted to tell you what happened first.”

 _Merlin’s bloody bollocks._ WAIT, he scrawled, then tapped the parchment to refresh a blank sheet.

> ****
> 
> ****
> 
> Purple hexagonal bottle, top left-hand drawer in my desk, for Minerva’s head wound. Six drops topically every half-hour for three hours. My own formula. Password to my office is Nux Myristica.

He paused, then added a line underneath:

> ****
> 
> ****
> 
> I am alive, thanks to Molly, but will not return to my duties for some time. Messages to me may be delivered through her. - SS

He then rolled the scroll tightly and passed it to Molly with a nod. “FOR POPPY AND MINERVA’S EYES **ONLY** ,” he mouthed.

The proof of his continued existence wouldn’t do him any favors with the Ministry or the Wizengamot, but hopefully the two witches would be willing to trust him at least long enough to hear him out before turning him over to the dementors.

Molly nodded, her lips pressed in a thin line, and strode out the door.

***

“That was fast,” she announced when she returned a long time later. “I assume your secret experimental potion was responsible for her sudden and swift recovery?”

Severus nodded, then immediately regretted it. The scars on his neck were nowhere near healed enough to accommodate that much movement. Molly clucked at him and rearranged the bandage.

“Less of that,” she said. “We want to ensure the scar tissue forms properly before we can work on making it more flexible. You won’t remember, but your wounds re-opened themselves several times in the first week or so. I ended up raiding the ingredients closet in the potions classroom for more dittany, so Poppy wouldn’t notice her own stock dwindling.”

IS THE INFIRMARY THAT EMPTY? he wrote. Normally dittany was something Pomona had to restock a few times a week - more, when the students were particularly clumsy.

“Just Filius, Minerva, and the ministry lackey now. Most of the injured students were moved to St. Mungo’s after the battle as soon as it was deemed safe. A few weren’t healed enough to be transported for quite a while, but Poppy apparates there to help out now when all is quiet at Hogwarts.” She flashed him a half-hearted smile. “She was run off her feet, those first few days. All of us with four functioning limbs were.”

YOU IMMEDIATELY STARTED REBUILDING THE CASTLE? He crossed out the question mark and replaced it with a period. No question there - he could feel in his bones that Hogwarts’ magic was present, strained but whole.

“Some of us did,” she replied. “Mostly the older students, those who didn’t have anywhere else to go. I… Arthur and Kingsley supervised a lot of the initial reconstruction. Working helped everyone not think. My sons - my remaining sons - needed that.”

The lump in Severus’s throat had nothing to do with his injury.

“Ginevra threw herself into the social side of things,” she continued with only a little wobble in her voice. “She and Harry have been the ones reaching out to everyone, students and their families, offering assistance when needed but mostly just helping the other children cope with what happened. I’m exceedingly proud of her.”

AS YOU SHOULD BE, Severus wrote. PROUD OF ALL YOUR CHILDREN. YOU RAISED THEM WELL, MOLLY.

“Yes, well. That means a lot, coming from you.”

Severus huffed. I’M NOT A COMPLETE BASTARD, DESPITE WHAT MY REPUTATION MIGHT SUGGEST.

Molly raised one eyebrow and gave him a look that Severus guessed probably got instant “yes, mum”s from her recklessly Gryffindor children. “The Ministry might disagree,” she said. “And they’re going to be knocking on Hogwarts’ front gates as soon as they figure out you’re still alive.”

 _Let them. They won’t get far._ Severus fell asleep with a smile on his face.

***

The summer dragged by. It was July before Molly admitted Severus was recovered enough to be up and about for more than a few minutes at a stretch. She seemed to have woven herself into the fabric of Hogwarts in the meantime - repairing and renovating the infirmary, tending the greenhouses when Pomona fell ill for a week, and juggling a huge variety of tasks which all required delegation but a firm hand at the wheel. Severus knew the woman was capable of that no-nonsense attitude, but he’d rarely been able to sit back and enjoy watching the show.

Hogwarts itself healed much more quickly. Some cosmetic work remained to be done, and a number of the enchantments would need to be finessed into behaving like they did before, but overall the castle was well on its way to being ready to admit students in the fall. In a teary reunion - during which Severus nearly passed out with the effort of appearing to be more healthy than he really was and had to be rescued by Molly before completely embarrassing himself - Minerva agreed to continue on as acting headmistress. She came down to take tea with him every day after that, and the two of them discussed their strategy.

“You can’t keep this up forever,” she told him one Thursday afternoon. “The Wizengamot are reportedly composing a formal complaint insisting I either produce you in person for judgment or I admit you’re dead and I’ve been stalling in allowing a new headmaster to be chosen because I enjoy the position too much to give it up.”

Severus huffed. Anyone who knew Minerva knew she much preferred to be the deputy - the amount of politics necessary to running a school the size of Hogwarts was staggering. He’d been woefully ill-prepared when thrust into the position. If it hadn’t been for the Dark Lord and the Carrows, it would probably have been Severus’s least favorite part of the job. His distaste for political boot-licking paled in comparison to the effort required in keeping his students alive, of course, but still. _Merlin._

I UNDERSTAND POTTER IS OUT THERE SWEARING TO ANYONE WHO WOULD LISTEN THAT I LOVE PUPPIES AND RAINBOWS, he wrote in reply. 

Minerva shot him an unreadable look over the rim of her teacup. “You do love rainbows. I remember being subjected to a long monologue once, when you first started teaching, about how certain potions ingredients are more potent when picked within sight of a rainbow. And I don’t know about puppies, but you didn’t seem too appalled when Hagrid brought those kneazle kittens to that staff meeting, remember that?”

He did. They were all lucky Hagrid had merely found a litter of newborn kneazles and not, say, an orphaned erumpet.

ARE YOU STILL IN FAVOR OF LETTING THAT OAF TEACH MAGICAL CREATURES AGAIN? he replied. I’D STILL RATHER FIND A REPLACEMENT.

“Hagrid is a fantastic groundskeeper,” Minerva shot back, “as you well know. I was going to suggest we reach out to Wilhemina Grubbly-Plank and see if she’d accept the permanent teaching role part-time if we keep Hagrid on for the rest of it.”

That would be acceptable, Severus decided. He nodded, and Minerva made a note of it on the scheduling planner scroll she’d taken to carrying in her front robe pocket.

“That just leaves Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions,” she announced. “Slughorn isn’t coming back and I’m fresh out of ideas. I’ve put off asking this, Severus, but what are your plans for this school year?”

DEPENDS IF I’M SLATED FOR AZKABAN, he wrote. I WILL STAY AS HEADMASTER AS LONG AS HOGWARTS WISHES IT.

An immediate sense of magical calm swept over him - the castle’s way of affirming his decision.

Tension visibly bled out of Minerva’s posture. “Thank Merlin for that,” she sighed. “Would you consider covering the older years’ potion classes? There are a few former students I’d trust to teach the younger children, but I don’t think they’d do as well with our current sixth- and seventh-years. Eddie Carmichael or Penelope Clearwater, perhaps?”

ACCEPTABLE. AS FOR DEFENSE - WE NEED MOLLY WEASLEY.

Minerva blinked at that. “Are you sure? I know she’s helped a lot around here these last few months, but--”

Severus held up his hand for her to stop and began writing as quickly as he could.

POINTS IN MOLLY’S FAVOR:

ONE - SHE IS A FORMIDABLE DUELIST WHO TOOK DOWN BELLATRIX LESTRANGE WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT.

TWO - SHE HAS RAISED SEVEN CHILDREN. SHE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY THE BRATS.

THREE - SHE IS AN INTELLIGENT WITCH WHO IS CAPABLE OF FOLLOWING A LESSON PLAN.

AND FOUR, he added in smaller print, SHE NEEDS THIS. IT’S HER DAUGHTER’S FINAL YEAR AND HER HUSBAND IS AT THE MINISTRY TWELVE HOURS A DAY TRYING TO FIX IT FROM THE INSIDE. SHE’S BEEN HELPING HERE BECAUSE SHE NEEDS TO FEEL BUSY AND NECESSARY.

Minerva’s expression softened. “In that case,” she said, “I think you’d better offer her the job as soon as possible. Before she finds somewhere else to be necessary.”

Severus agreed.


End file.
